Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers left the No. 2 Longhorns’ game against UTSA on Saturday with what appeared to be a non-contact injury.
Ewers walked cautiously toward the sideline after appearing to stall for a handoff in the second quarter. He was replaced by Arch Manning, who threw a touchdown pass to give Texas a 21-0 lead.
Ewers completed 14 of 16 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns before being taken to the medical tent on the Texas sideline. After being examined in the tent, a dejected Ewers walked slowly toward the Texas locker room with a towel over his head. Shortly after Ewers went to the locker room, he returned to the sideline without his uniform.
ESPN cameras caught Ewers gesturing to the left side of his abdomen as he spoke to people on the Texas sideline at the end of the first half. In his interview with the network at halftime, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said he had a “strained abdomen.”
Meanwhile, Manning threw that touchdown pass on his first attempt after entering the game. It was a 19-yard pass to DeAndre Moore Jr.
Manning, nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, has been the Longhorns’ No. 2 quarterback since the College Football Playoff in January. After UTSA cut Texas’ lead to 21-7, Manning ran for a 67-yard touchdown on his third play after replacing Ewers.
Ewers has missed playing time due to shoulder injuries in each of his two seasons as Texas’ starter. He injured his right shoulder in a game against Alabama in 2022 and injured his left shoulder against Houston in 2023. Ewers missed two games after being injured against the Cougars a season ago and was replaced by Maalik Murphy. He is now the starting quarterback at Duke after transferring at the end of the regular season.
Manning scored five touchdowns before being replaced by Trey Owens in the fourth quarter, when Texas held a 49-7 lead. Manning completed 9 of 12 passes for 223 yards and four touchdown passes, including a 75-yard touchdown to rookie wide receiver Ryan Wingo.
Manning briefly struggled against the pass rush after his first two touchdowns and finished with 53 rushing yards after a pair of sacks.